Abortion rates fall

Earlier this month the Guttmacher Institute released the latest abortion figures (for 2011), which revealed that the number of abortions in this country have once again began to decline despite the continued growth in population. In 2011, there were 1.06 million abortions – a 13% decline from 2008. The 2011 abortion rate also declined 13% from 2008, with 16.9 abortions per 1,000 women aged 15-44. Compare this to the 1981 peak of 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women.

There has also been a big shift in the way women procure abortions. In 2008, 17% of all abortions were performed via chemicals (such as RU-486). As of 2011, that number increased to 23%.

There are also fewer abortion providers (4% fewer than 2008) and abortion clinics (1% fewer than 2008).

In their report, they speculate that it’s tied to fewer pregnancies overall (the number of births also decreased), increased usage of “error-proof” contraception devices such as IUDs, etc. They never consider the effect of the pro-life movement. I do know that more and more people have been identifying as pro-life over the last 5 years or so, particularly among younger age groups. I would think that this must have some effect on the abortion rate.